Polls

Virginians down on McDonnell, but not calling for resignation yet

| Tom Jensen


Header-poll-results
Raleigh, N.C.-
PPP’s newest
Virginia poll finds that Bob McDonnell’s net approval rating has dropped 12
points in the last month, and that for the first time since taking office he’s
under water. Only 36% of voters approve of the job he’s doing to 41% who
disapprove.

McDonnell’s numbers are down across the board from our last poll of the
state. He’s dropped from 73% approval with Republicans to 62%, 22% approval
with Democrats to 14%, and from a 39/41 spread to a 36/43 one with
independents. McDonnell’s favorability numbers are even worse than his approval
numbers with just 32% of voters seeing him in a positive light to 45% who have
a negative opinion.

McDonnell’s ethics issues seem to be driving this downturn in his
popularity. Only 31% of voters in the state consider him to be an ethical
politician, compared to 45% who do not. McDonnell’s issues could be a liability
for the Republican ticket this fall as 31% of voters say they’d be less likely
to vote for a candidate backed by him to only 15% that say they’d be more
likely to support someone based on his blessing. Among independent voters it’s
29% less likely and 13% more likely.

There is one piece of good news for McDonnell in the poll though- only 35%
of voters think he should resign at this point to 45% who believe he should
remain in office. The reason for the divide between that and his approval
numbers is that only 62% of voters who disapprove of him are so unhappy that
they think he should resign. 56% of Democrats think he should step down, but
74% of Republicans think he should stay on and independents by a 44/34 margin
think he should continue in office as well.

“Bob McDonnell has gone from being a major positive to a major liability for
Republican candidates in Virginia,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public
Policy Polling. “New numbers we’ll release tomorrow for the 2013 races in the
state show that his issues are not helping GOP prospects this fall.”

PPP surveyed 601
registered voters between July 11th and 14th. The margin of error
was +/- 4.0%. This poll was not authorized or paid for by any campaign or
political organization. PPP’s surveys are conducted through automated telephone
interviews.

Topline results are below.  Full results, including crosstabs, can be found here.

Q1 Do you have a favorable or unfavorable opinion
of Bob McDonnell?
Favorable……………………………………………….. 32%
Unfavorable ……………………………………………. 45%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 23%

Q2 Do you approve or disapprove of Governor Bob
McDonnell’s job performance
Approve …………………………………………………. 36%
Disapprove……………………………………………… 41%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 22%

Q3 Do you think that Bob McDonnell should resign
from office, or not?
He should……………………………………………….. 35%
He should not………………………………………….. 45%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 20%

Q4 Do you think Bob McDonnell is an ethical
politician, or not?
Think he is ……………………………………………… 31%
Think he is not ………………………………………… 45%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 25%

Q5 If a candidate for the state legislature was
supported by Bob McDonnell, would that make
you more or less likely to vote for them, or
would it not make a difference?
More likely………………………………………………. 15%
Less likely ………………………………………………. 31%
Wouldn’t make a difference……………………….. 48%
Not sure …………………………………………………. 6%

Q6 Who did you vote for President in 2012?
Barack Obama………………………………………… 49%
Mitt Romney……………………………………………. 48%
Someone else/Don’t remember …………………. 3%

Q7 Would you describe yourself as very liberal,
somewhat liberal, moderate, somewhat
conservative, or very conservative?
Very liberal ……………………………………………… 12%
Somewhat liberal …………………………………….. 17%
Moderate………………………………………………… 30%
Somewhat conservative……………………………. 23%
Very conservative ……………………………………. 18%

Q8 If you are a woman, press 1. If a man, press 2.
Woman ………………………………………………….. 55%
Man……………………………………………………….. 45%

Q9 If you are a Democrat, press 1. If a Republican,
press 2. If you are an independent or identify
with another party, press 3.
Democrat ……………………………………………….. 37%
Republican……………………………………………… 32%
Independent/Other…………………………………… 31%

Q10 If you are white, press 1. If African-American,
press 2. If other, press 3.
White …………………………………………………….. 75%
African-American …………………………………….. 18%
Other……………………………………………………… 8%

Q11 If you are 18 to 29 years old, press 1. If 30 to
45, press 2. If 46 to 65, press 3. If you are
older than 65, press 4.
18 to 29………………………………………………….. 10%
30 to 45………………………………………………….. 20%
46 to 65………………………………………………….. 41%
Older than 65………………………………………….. 29%

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